SSC: Wildlife Inquiry Through Zoo Education (W.I.Z.E.) Summer Science Camp

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The Wildlife Conservation Society, founded 1895 as the New York Zoological Society, requests a grant from the National Science Foundation, to launch and exciting two-fold science education and career exploration project for undeserved youngsters entering 8th and 9th grades. This commuter summer camp experience, serving 35 children annually over a three year period, will be held at the internationally acclaimed Bronx Zoo and be based on one of the exemplary and PEP1 validated life science curricula developed by the Bronx Zoo Education Department, Wildlife Inquiry through Zoo Education (WIZE). To date, over 1,000 teachers in 40 states and U.S. territories have adopted the curriculum in grades 7-10. WIZE, a science program targeted for adolescents, became available in 1987. Initially funded by NSF, WIZE has been successfully disseminated nationally through two consecutive grants from the U. S. Department of Education National Diffusion Network, and continually evaluate over the past seven years. The goals of Wildlife Conservation Society, the Bronx Zoo Education Department, the WIZE curriculum, and the proposed WIZE Teens Summer Science Camp closely coordinate with those of NSF's division Human Resources Development: We are actively seeking to: 1) promote an interest in science and mathematics in middle school students that will remain with them beyond their school years; 2 prepare adolescents to understand and participate as informed citizens in public policy debates and decisions on issues involving the environment, habitats, and wildlife preservation; 3) encourage middle school students to value and continue their science education throughout secondary school and consider higher education leading to careers in science, mathematics, or technology. ***